Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

This is one of those really simple dishes that is chock full of flavor simply by way of the ingredients themselves. You'll notice the only spices are a bit of salt and lemon pepper, allowing everything else to shine in its natural glory. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.75 - 2 lbs brined chicken breast
• 1 tbsp lemon pepper - I use FreshJax... great blend and the company donates meals to kids in need.
• 2 onions cut in quarters or eighths
• 6 cloves garlic diced
• 1/2 cup white wine (Not cooking wine - too much salt)
• 1 can whole tomatoes, drained and halved
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper

    Brine:

• 4 cups water 
• 1tbsp salt
• 1 lemon

Preparation:

Brining the Chicken

Trim the breasts of fat and junk. Lay breast flat,

cut in half lengthwise and then cut halves into stew size chunks.

Mix 4 cups water with 1 tbsp regular salt and fresh squeezed juice from 1 lemon.

Add chicken to brine, stir a little so chicken pieces are in brine on all sides.

Refrigerate and let sit for 1 hour.

When time's up, pour chicken into a colander and give a quick rinse to remove most of the salt.

Gather the Slow Cooker Components

Place drained & rinsed chicken in large mixing bowl. Add olive oil and lemon pepper... mix. Heat a large skillet on medium high and sear the chicken on all sides. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray and place chicken in bottom of pot.

Add wine, garlic and onions to skillet and stir/toss over medium heat until slightly browned.

Spread evenly over meat.

Cover with a layer of basil leaves and then tomatoes, cut side down.

Sprinkle with kosher salt as you see fit and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Gently break up the tomatoes before serving and fold in carefully with the chicken.

Serve with fresh broccoli and quinoa or barley made with a chicken broth.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Steamed Cod with Lemon Butter Sauce

Here's a simple one that has endless possibilities in the pairing arena. I decided on some of my leftover White Bean Salad and fresh string beans. The salad is already citrus based and the green beans work really well with a drizzle of lemon butter. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fish:

• 2  6-ounce cod filets
• 2 tsp Garlic Lover’s Blend pulverized (toasted garlic, salt, paprika, parsley)
• Black pepper to taste – one twist on the grinder works for me
• 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  

 Sauce:

• 3 tbsp butter
• Juice & zest from ½ lemon
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt

Preparation:

Juice and zest the lemon to be ready.

Pat filets dry, coat with EVOO and season fish on both sides. Steam for 4 minutes.

While fish is steaming, combine butter, salt, lemon & zest and warm in small pot. Add some sauce to the fish when steaming is done. Serve rest of sauce at the table.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Panko Crusted Pollock Bites

Pollock bites are so much fun to use for  experimenting/creating. Here I decided to try my trusted DMP (Dijon/Mayo/Panko) coating to create some slightly crunchy bites including Coastal Blend Seasoning from The Spice & Tea Exchange.

Ingredients:

• 2 pkgs - 12 oz total - Wild Alaskan Co. pollock bites
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Coastal Blend from Spice & Tea Exchange
• ~2 cups plain Panko
• avocado oil

Preparation:

In a bowl that will hold all bites mix Dijon, mayo, oil and coastal blend until creamy smooth.

Pat fish dry and cover with coating mix. Heat a generous amount of avocado oil in a pan large enough to accommodate all bites. Dip bites in coating, cover with Panko and fry over medium high heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown on most sides.

Serve with lightly buttered broccoli and a tossed salad... 'cause it's good for ya! 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Coconut Lime Fish Soup

Credit for this soup goes to a friend who found it at Grandma's Recipes and shared in my FB group.

This flavorful soup will transport you to thoughts of a tropical paradise where the ocean meets the shores and flavors that pair the sea with coconut, lime and a bit of heat send your tastebuds soaring. Enjoy!       

Ingredients:

• 1 lb white fish fillets (cod, halibut, or tilapia)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion - diced
• 2 garlic cloves - minced
• 1 tbsp ginger - minced
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk (you can use light coconut milk if you prefer)
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro - for garnish
• Lime wedges - for serving

Preparation:

Prepare Fish:

Pat fish fillets dry with a paper towel, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Sauté Aromatics:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and curry paste, cooking for another minute until fragrant.

Add Liquid:

Stir in coconut milk and broth. Bring to a simmer.

Simmer Fish:

Gently add the seasoned fish fillets to the simmering soup. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.

Season Soup:

Stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or more lime juice as needed.

Serve & Garnish:

Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh cilantro, and serve with lime wedges on the side for an extra citrus kick!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Weekend Ramble: "When I cook, I am looking to..."

Have you ever thought about your cooking? ... I mean really thought about why you cook the way you do? What has shaped your style, your ingredients, your go-to flavors? Were you taught by Mom and Dad? Did you take some cooking classes or go to culinary school?

Well, regardless of background, we all have our individual style, and that's a really cool thing, isn't it? Just like the famous chefs out there, there are certain things about our cooking that define a dish as our own.

When I first started cooking (decades ago...ahem) it was all about spices... the notion being that the more spices you added, the better the dish would be. Over the years that did tone down some, but for the most part I have always been heavy handed on adding herbs and spices to my dishes. That is... until I retired and found I had the time to really get into flavors and more complex dishes.

A number of years ago I received as a gift my all-time favorite

cookbook, which is not really a cookbook at all. 

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg is an outstanding compilation of food items organized alphabetically along with lists of complimenting flavors for each item. 

There are no recipes in the book... AT ALL. Just... flavors. The recipe is up to the cook to design... and I just love that! I really enjoy being in my kitchen with the book... imagining what the different flavor combos will produce. IT'S FUN!

Scattered throughout the book are little blurbs and quotes from some of the most famous chefs in the culinary field. One, in particular, caught my eye and made me think... Really? Huh! It was a notion so foreign to me that I was blown away by its simplicity. Chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern in New York City suddenly became my role model with this line:

"When I cook, I am looking to pull myself back from a dish

rather than add to a dish. I would rather a dish feel too

simple than too fussy. Sometimes, though, you need some

extra ingredients as long as they work dynamically."

With this kitchen creed as my guide, I have learned to focus on letting the main ingredient of a dish shine rather than hiding it with spices and cover-up flavors. It's very similar to the art of sushi, where the VERY subtle differences from fish to fish can only be fully appreciated if the base flavor of the fish itself remains the focus at hand.

Stepping back from a dish is often not easy, but with practice it will actually change the abilities of a pallet. Subtle flavor differences become wow factors, and flavor levels within a given dish? Well let's just say it's a whole new world!

Just so you can see I'm serious about Chef Michael Anthony's creed... here it is as seen every day in my kitchen!

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Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Dionne Blanc Cream Sauce

There are many creamy wine sauces on the net that have intrigued me to the point of wanting my very own. Most of the sauces seem to prefer a Chardonnay, but since Carolyn and I are not fans of that variety I decided to use a favorite local white wine, Dionne Blanc, made by South Dominion Vineyard in Cambridge, New York. Long story short... the infamous Yummy Noises emerged at the table when I served it over a simple baked cod. Needless to say... this is a blog-worthy keeper. ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium shallot - minced
• 8 oz. Dionne Blanc by South Dominion Vineyard - Chenin Blanc will work as well
• 6 oz. clam juice
• 6 oz. heavy cream
• 2-3 tbsp salted butter - plus 2 tsp more for finishing sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add shallot and cook until well-softened but not browned.

Add wine and reduce over medium boil by one-third.

Add clam juice, cream, salt and pepper. Continue to reduce roughly by half over medium-boil. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Pour sauce through a fine mesh sieve into to a clean sauce pan and then back into the original pot. Add lemon juice and stir. Thicken with a bit of Wondra if you like your sauce to have a little more body.

Just before serving, heat sauce gently. Whisk in a few small cubes of cold butter.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Shirazi Salad - A Chef Favorite

After seeing my friend Ely’s Shirazi Salad video I did a little research as the name intrigued me. It turns out this dish is named after the city of Shiraz in southern Iran. Apparently it comes in many regional flavor pallets with varied ingredients and spices and has been a staple item there with many many meals since.... forever. After kicking around a number of flavor combos I settled on something I can call my own. I paired it tonight with my recipe for Grandma Inspired Fried Meatballs, and omg what a winner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 plump tomatoes - diced

1 English cucumber - peeled and diced

½ cup finely chopped red onion

1 orange or yellow bell pepper - chopped

3 tbsp EACH chopped fresh parsley, basil and scallion

½ cup chopped fresh mint - or 1 tbsp dried

Salt and pepper to taste

Sumac to taste (very optional as it's not everyone's choice)

4 tbsp lime or lemon juice - chef's choice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - remember quality counts :-)

Preparation:

Cut up the tomatoes first and place in a colander to drain some of the juice.

Cut up all the other ingredients and toss together in a large bowl. Add oil, lemon/lime juice and season with salt & pepper to taste. Blend well.

Blend well and add the dressing.

Chill this salad for about an hour and toss again before serving with something like my Grandma Inspired Fried "Meatballs" or BBQed chicken.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!